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by tachion 3091 days ago
It's a difference in perspective, I rather prefer situation where no one isn't forced to anything, and that's why I think BSD license is 'better'. I want you, me and everyone else, including companies like Sony, to be free to take the code and benefit from it in every possible way, and if they choose not to share back, it's again their freedom to make this decision. I will use my freedom to make the decision of sharing back, despite all other decisions made in that regard, because this is what I consider a truly free software, unlike the GPL.
1 comments
willtim 3091 days ago
GPL is about enabling freedom for end-users. An end-user could be anything from an individual to a corporate entity. Your definition of freedom appears to be just "permissive licensing". Unfortunately, permissive licensing like BSD, could mean that one's code ends up being wielded by a corporation to remove end-user freedoms, typically to lock them in as paying customers.

I am a Free Software Foundation (FSF) member because I believe that end-user freedoms are becoming increasingly under threat as of late and they appear to be among the few that are taking the problem seriously.

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tachion 3091 days ago
Corporations can't 'wield the code' because by copying it and using it it doesn't take it away from other people and as such this argument against BSD license doesn't really make sense. Corporation can copy the code and improve it so that it would have people willing to pay for their improved code version and I am OK with that, in the end they made the work to generate the profit, that's their goal. I don't have one like such, so I can and I do release my code BSD licenses so that others could do anything (literally) they want with it.
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willtim 3091 days ago
> Corporations can't 'wield the code' because by copying it and using it it doesn't take it away from other people.

The relevance of the original code can be taken away, for example by hijacking a standard or through control of APIs and/or hardware. Will anyone be able to buy hardware in 10 years time that will not be under the full control of a corporation?

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